Forced Hand
by Jetstream Girge
Summary: Demons are evil. That much is certain. After all, they invaded our home and laid it to waste! They are evil and despicable creatures! But, is there a reason to their invasion? See another side of the demons you might not expect. A teaser to my future series titled "The King's Court."


**Hey everyone! While I work on my other stories I wanted to put this up so you had something to nibble on while I get the main courses plated up for you. This was an unofficial entry to yet another of the forums fanfiction contests, this one prompting the participants to cast the bad guys as good guys. I am not particularly keen on the idea of good and evil, so I went with this little compromise. Hope you enjoy!**

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"If only Sourcream were here…" an elder demon muttered, his snow white beard glowing slightly blue in frustration in the dim war room. A table allowing for several of its kin rested before it in the shadow of a black, iron throne. Another creature of similar size shook its head from across the table.

"But she isn't here, so we have to make this decision ourselves," it responded sternly. The former brought a weathered claw to his face and pressed the bridge of his nose so hard it almost broke.

What a mess they were in. Ever since Karis' coup against Luciela, the hierarchy had been slowly falling apart like a loose string being pulled on a sweater. Naturally, the rest of the nobility threw the succubus into confinement when they learned what had happened, but now her words slid through their minds like a hungry serpent.

 _I did this for the good of our realm._ Back then, they thought it was just an excuse for the demon to wriggle away from the consequences. But now, they sounded like genuine concern. Karis was no fool; she knew the state of the Dark Continent just as well as any other demonic noble.

Their world was dying. Sure it was dark, gloomy and decayed all the time, but when the land itself crumbled to ash when stepped upon that was when you knew things were dire. The Dark Continent was a land of darkness, but it was what they thrived on. They never had to venture beyond their own borders to maintain their way of life. They were just there, hidden from the world where they were content to be until the end of time.

But the laws of the world were cruel. They were not natural occurrences from the El blessed by the El Lady. They were a form of El given shape by the darkest impulses of all that lived; including shame. That was why they hid themselves away, on a far off land that none could hope to reach, ashamed of what they were. Here they would remain and carve out a life for themselves.

But mutations, even in the chaotic energies of the El, were rare. Thus, time consumed their Dark El stores as they built a kingdom of their own, fought amongst themselves, made peace with each other, and lived on. That was always a constant none could defy; time.

Now their time was running short. Coastal towns were drowned in the very waters they fished from. Mountain hamlets were crushed under their very foundations. Even the townships inland were swallowed by the earth beneath them as catastrophe gripped the land.

And they needed El. Badly. But there was only one way to get it.

"Surely we can reason with the people of Elrios. Perhaps they will-"

"You know they would not give up their precious El so easily. It is in just as short supply there as it is here. If we ask them to give, or even trade, some of their El with us, they would refuse."

"Luciela would have a plan. If only she were here now…"

"But she isn't. We have run out of time. Time wasted negotiating with Elrios is time we do not have anymore."

"But is invasion really the best option that we have? The only option?" How they hated the sound of that word. The word that not only would break their self-imposed solitude, but would cast them as the villains that destroyed a continent.

Invasion.

The circle of demons now turned to the throne. "What say you, Your Excellency?" At this question, a dark shape shifted on the massive chair. What looked to be armrests clenched into fists and one found its way to a massive chin. Blazing eyes of black flames shut in thought and a thoughtful growl rumbled through the halls.

Eventually, the flames sprang to life again. "We do not have a choice. We needed this El years ago, and without Sourcream's leadership we could not garner enough support for negotiations." The great pupils shifted to focus on one of its smaller kin. "Gather my Court. I am lifting General Scar's suspension. He will be coordinating the overall invasion."

A chorus of gasps sounded in the war room. "Y-your Excellency! You yourself invoked that suspension! To unleash him upon Elrios would be-"

"A death sentence? We are already opening hostilities with Elrios without so much as a declaration of war. His methods may be extreme, but they are what we need. They will bring us the El we need to survive. We cannot afford to hold back. We _need_ that El. Now." If flames could convey emotions, the ones in the titan's eyes would indicate remorse and regret. It was saddened it had come to this, and regretted what it was about to do.

With a commanding wave, it addressed the council before it. "Your King orders the following: Crash upon Elrios like a dark tide and take the El. Return it to the Dark Continent where it can be used to sustain our people and crush any who oppose us. For the glory – and continuation – of the demon realm…"

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Ranks upon ranks of demons marched through the streets towards the dilapidated portal that would take them to the continent of Elrios. Armor clanked and spears sang in the air as they stomped on. At the front stood a single demon, whose head of wild, white hair burned with the faintest blue flames. Pauldrons shaped in the image of dire wolves rested on his shoulders and a great sword of blackened steel rested on his back. He led the horde forward until he stood before the gate. With a gauntleted hand, he beckoned for the army to halt. With one last stomp, the horde came to a standstill where they waited.

The leader then looked to his rear and beckoned to the group at the front. They stepped forward and bowed to the demon.

Their leader first looked to a massive wolf-like creature. "Berthe, you will lead the vanguard on the land called Feita. It is your job to keep most of the continent of Lurensia busy while the rest of us bring Fluone under our control. You may select whomever you wish from our ranks for your officers." As the demon growled in acknowledgement, its master added, "Take care not to overcommit. You are among the most loyal of the demons to His Excellency. Your job is to distract, not conquer. May your mission be fruitful and glorious."

"I only hope that my services will bring life back to our people. Good luck in Fluone, General Scar," Berthe barked before striding to the demon ranks to make his officer selections.

"Chloe." Scar turned to a scantily clad woman. But she was no ordinary woman or demon, she was a dark elf, and their most skilled warrior. "Lead a force against Velder. Burn it to the ground. Make sure they will not be able to come to Hamel or Feita's aid. They have perhaps the strongest standing military force in Elrios, so I am permitting you use of your people's entire force and several of my own factions. I have set aside Joaquin, Spriggan, Uno Hound and a division of our Vanguards to accompany you. You also have use of the puppets. Use them well."

"As you command, General Scar." With that, she vanished from sight. Scar now turned to a pair of similar looking humanoids with a sinister pyre of shadows between them.

"Ran, In, Jin. Your responsibility is to cripple Fahrmann in the north and secure the El there for transport home."

The male grinned. "We already have a plan. Ran and the rest of us will corrupt some of the humans there to sway them to our cause, then we can dispatch them across the continent." The female nodded silently in agreement while the shadow flickered in anticipation.

"I see. I look forward to your results. May victory come to you swiftly." The twins and their phantom companion now returned to the army and Scar turned to the next demon before him.

However, unlike the others he regarded with respect, he was unable to prevent his mouth from splitting into a snarl. "Karis… As much as I would love to throw back into your cell, we need your talents in espionage and deception, not to mention our King brought you into his Court. Keep the people of Sander under your thumb from the shadows. Make sure they are ripe to be conquered. This is a chance to redeem yourself for what you did to Luciela…"

The succubus set her mouth and her lips pressed into a thin line. "General Scar, had I not overthrown her, we would have never even set foot on Elrios, even for negotiations. I did us a favor," she said. But Scar was far from satisfied.

" _You_ are part of the reason we are in this mess from where I stand, succubus. The only reason I set you free was to use you like a tool, and like tool you will be unless you want to go back to the depths…" Scar snapped. Karis involuntarily shuddered at the threat, and glared daggers at the demon, but eventually bowed her head in submission.

"I understand. I will not fail," she relented.

"See to it," Scar growled before she dismissed herself from his presence. The assignments were cast and he was confident that they would be fulfilled. All that remained was to prepare his part of the plan.

Lurensia was divided in its rulers, so Berthe and Chloe's forces would be sufficient in suppressing the land and using it as a foothold to strike on Fluone. Fluone would require some more finesse, as Scar's plan was to prepare a ritual site among the volcanos of Lanox to summon forth their King, who would then accept the El they had gathered and return them to the Dark Continent. The plan however, would result in absolute ruin and devastation across Elrios, but this was the price of life.

If they wanted to live on, they would have to take life from Elrios. He had accepted his suspension without quarrel when he saw what he had done. Demons burning to death in their own homes and crushed under the weight of the forces of nature as he used the dying land itself to bring rebellious elements to their knees. He swore to never tread that path again, but when his King spoke to him upon his release, he realized that those practices must be put to use once again.

With one last sigh, he turned to his subordinates who stood at attention, their eyes gazing hopefully into his.

Raising his sword from his back, he bellowed, "We march to war! Take the El! Crush any who stand before you! Bring prosperity back to this land! For the glory of the demon realm!" As he cried out, the gate behind him tore open a hole in space. On the other side lay Elrios, unaware of the otherworldly force preparing to set it to the flame.

"For the glory of the demon realm!" They roared. Thus, begins the demon invasion of Elrios…

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 **I made a few edits to the story from its original version to include references to a Court. This will be covered in a future set of fictions titled "The King's Court." I am currently working on that now, so please look forward to it. As always, please Read and Review. Until next time!**


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